Last week we got a phone call from the folks who run the Sierra Railroad, which operates vintage trains year-round out of Oakdale, CA. They asked us if we wanted to be the featured winery on their Dinner Train...

Kevin and I enjoy hosting parties. Tomorrow night we're hosting our first dinner party where family isn't invited and we're not firing up the grill for burgers. I've got an antique drop leaf table that seats anywhere from 2 to 12 and I can't wait to load up the leaves. We're going with an autumn ... wines. With dinner: 2004 Handley Gewurtztraminer, Anderson Valley, CA With dessert: 2005 Dry...

My friends Bill and Rusty hosted a most excellent dinner the other night for their neighborhood wine group, and (guess what?) Twisted Oak was poured. I was invited so that I could explain the wines (easy), explain the Rubber Chickens...

Grilled leg of lamb Braised collard greens Drunken Goat with Grand Central Rustic Baguette Blackberry crisp 2004 Chateau De Lacarelle Beaujolais-Villages

Grilled chicken with Thai cilantro pesto Spicy greenbeans Spicy Thai fried rice Fresh mission figs 2004 Chateau De Lacarelle Beaujolais-Villages

Applewood-grilled trout with lemon, herbs and shitaki mushroom sauce Caesar salad Grilled mission figs on cristini with Rogue Creamery Oregonzola and thyme honey 2001 Errazuriz Fume Blanc

Grilled lamb burgers with Cyprus Grove chevre Spicy greenbeans Guacamole Nectarines with honey and mascarpone 2005 Penner-Ash Roséo 2004 Penner-Ash Seven Springs Pinot Noir

Provençal mussels with oven-baked fries Arugula salad with lemon dressing Grand Center Bakery rustic baguette Bucheron goat cheese 2004 Bethel Heights Quercless Chardonnay The mussel dish is really easy and I honestly don’t remember where I first had it. It isn’t really Provençal, to be honest, but it has that ...

Filed under: Wine , Dinner , Business , Lists , How To , America When you're out to dinner with your friends, ordering wine can be fun. You have discussions about what to order, negotiate how much you want to spend, and even poke fun at each other by threatening to order "white zin." However ... wine at an important business dinner are pretty much commonsense and not very different from...

From a reader: So we went nuts and had breakfast for dinner. Poached eggs for the wife, fried eggs for me. Hash browns, turkey bacon. A little tomatillo salsa for me, on the eggs. Let’s rule out champagne or mimosas. What wine do you have with breakfast, when you’re not eating it in the a.m.? It’s an interesting question. But I find this pairing to be driven more by what’s on the plate...